The ash tree is any tree of the genus Fraxinus of the olive family (Oleaceae). The
genus includes about 70 species of trees and shrubs, mostly
distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, some of which are
valuable for their timber and beauty. A few species extend into the
tropical forests of Mexico and Java.

The leaves of ash trees are
opposite, usually deciduous, and pinnately compound and have an
odd number of leaflets, often five to nine. The one-seeded fruits are
narrow and winged and are called samaras. The flowers usually are
small and showy and grow in clusters, and some species have
petaled blooms. Most ash trees are small to medium in height,
though some of the larger timber-providing species grow to 18-34 m
(60-120 feet).
Eighteen species of ash are found in the United States, with five furnishing most of the
ash lumber cut. The most important are the white ash (F. americana) and the green
ash (F. pennsylvanica), which grow throughout the eastern and much of the central
United States and northward into parts of Canada. These two species furnish wood
that is stiff, strong, resilient, and yet lightweight. This "white ash" is used for baseball
bats, hockey sticks, paddles and oars, tennis and other racket frames, and the
handles of shovels, spades, hoes, rakes, and other agricultural tools.

The black ash (F.
nigra) of eastern North America, the blue ash (F. quadrangulata) of the Midwest, and
the Oregon ash (F. latifolia) of the Pacific Northwest furnish wood of comparable quality
that is used for furniture, interior paneling, and barrels, among other purposes. The
Mexican ash (F. uhdei), a broad-crowned tree that is widely planted along the streets
of Mexico City, reaches a height of 18 m and has leaves with five to nine leaflets.

The European ash (F. excelsior), with 7 to 11 leaflets, is a timber tree of wide
distribution throughout Europe. A number of its varieties have been cultivated and
used in landscaping for centuries. Notable among these are forms with dwarflike or
weeping habits, variegated foliage, warty twigs and branches, and curled leaves. The
flowering ash (F. ornus) of southern Europe produces creamy white, fragrant flowers,
has leaves with seven leaflets, and reaches 21 m. It is also known as manna ash for a
laxative that is extracted from its gum. The Chinese ash (F. chinensis) yields Chinese
white wax.

The ash tree is fast-growing and makes excellent firewood - unlike most wood, it even burns well straight off the tree. These facts make it extremely valuable for those who have space to grow trees and regularly need wood to burn.

The band:

The sound:

Ash have a variety of sounds. They do melodic guitar tracks (Uncle Pat / Goldfinger), storming indie-punk-rock (Innocent Smile / Submission) and non-cheesy heartfelt ballads (Oh Yeah / Lost In You). If I had one criticism it would be that singer Tim's voice is a little too weak and wobbly to both complement crushing guitars and harmonise on the ballads. But you have to take a band's sound as a whole.

I had the fortune to see them at The Forum in London's Kentish Town. They totally fucking rocked, in spite of making me wait until the encore to play 'Kung Fu'. Bastards!

A bio:

Tim and co were very early starters. They formed in 1989 (while still at school!) and played for fun as a metal band. Back then they were called Vietnam, changing to 'Ash' when the 90s came.

They released the mini-album 'Trailer' in 1994 and heavy interest in the band began.

In 1998Ash released their 2nd full length album 'Nu-clear Sounds'. This was a very different sound for them. Casual music fans who had possibly been encouraged to get into the band by Britpop fever found it hard and unlistenable. While still having a solid amount of musical hooks, these were buried under brutally harsh guitars and a tough attitude.

Ash seemed to be losing their appeal to the masses.

3 long years later Ash were back on the scene with the catchy, almost poppy 'Shining Light'. The growing popularity of Nu-metal in Britain had meant that previously 'unlistenable' songs could get played on daytime radio, and be promo'd on Top Of The Pops and other chart shows.

Ash's 3rd full-lengther was 'Free All Angels'. Perhaps the most commercially viable record of their career.